“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today when human contacts re so quick, fashion is instant language.” Miuccia Prada

You know how when you go off to buy a pack of fruit juice, you know exactly what flavour you want? It’s a lot like style. Style is personal and as much as we try to ape or reproduce someone’s style (usually a style Icon), there’s always this tiny something that sets you apart. This is why two people can wear the same outfit and still manage to look different. Style is about knowing yourself and how you want to be seen. If you can explain your style to yourself, whatever other people have got to opine doesn’t matter. So what is your style? How does one even decide what their style is?

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“Over the years, I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman wearing it.” –Yves Saint Laurent

The first thing you need to concern yourself with is understanding the kind of body you have and what works for you. If you have a good understanding of your body shape, your body’s strengths and weaknesses and embrace it, you can acquire the right clothes to either highlight or downplay them.

Take pictures of your outfits daily. Ask people around you what outfits worked and looked good and which ones didn’t. Before long, if you look hard enough, you will begin to see a pattern in the looks you put together.

Colours also matter a lot as they can have a huge effect on your style and how you feel about what you’re wearing. You need to understand how certain colours make you feel and make notes. For example, personally, black makes me feel powerful. Red makes me feel alluring. Blue makes me feel efficient. These differ from person to person so you’ll need to find out what different colours do for you – Physically, mentally, emotionally, socially (e.g. People’s reactions) - and note them.

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“One is never over or Under-dressed with a little black dress.” - Karl Lagerfeld

A little black dress is a wardrobe essential. Conversely, it could be a little white dress or a little red dress. Whatever works for you, make sure your wardrobe contains these bare necessities: a pair of flats, a classic white shirt, a good pair of court shoes and blue jeans!

This list of basics/essentials gets longer and more diverse for different people. For some it’s a pair of leather leggings, for others, it could be a black chiffon blouse. Once you have covered the basics of your style, look for some personal statement pieces that are truly unique for you (from broaches to scarves) Make your style extra special with the right accessories because they are easier to change and being creative with them is quite easy and could be so much fun.

Spend on a good pair of shoes and choose the perfect hand bag for your style. If you understand your style well, you may not need so many shoes or handbags. You could focus on getting the perfect ones. You never know, this could be the one big move that defines your personal style!

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“Create your own style….let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.” - Orson Welles

Truthfully, you may have a number of great timeless outfits in your wardrobe but if they don’t FIT you, (or your body type) you will not look stylish in them. Make sure that every item you buy FITS you. I know how frustrating it could get when see an absolutely wonderful piece of clothing on sale, you try it on, but it’s just a little bit too short or too tight or “the colour isn’t just right”. You buy it anyway because the piece is so lovely and it’s cheap. I know how it feels. I’ve indulged a few times myself but it doesn’t negate the fact that any clothing that does not fit you properly will NEVER look good on you. So please beware of “50% off!” induced purchases and only buy new clothes that you not only like but that which fits perfectly. As for trends, follow when they fit your style or your body type because “Fashion fades; only style remains the same.” Coco Chanel. It is quite apparent that this fashion icon learnt that true style defies fashion trends. Although it is nice to add some trendy outfits to your wardrobe, you should only go for the trends that fit you.